Student Life

NCC names 2017 Outstanding Alumna

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Nash Community College recognized Susan Beasley Butler, RN, MSN as the 2017 Outstanding Alumni Award recipient at the 50th anniversary graduation ceremony held Friday, May 12.

Butler is a Nash Community College 1974 Licensed Practical Nurse and 1980 Associate Degree in Nursing alumna. “Nash Technical Institute, even though it was a small college when I attended, had a very remarkable reputation in the community. NTI was known for nursing students having a high pass rate on state boards. It is always exciting to hear about the innovation as the college adds additional programs to this campus,” Butler said.

Susan Beasley Butler served as a nurse in the Emergency Department and Neurosurgery Intensive Care Unit before becoming a Flight Nurse and later Chief Flight Nurse. She retired in 2016 as Women’s Heart Health Coordinator at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center.

“Butler was selected as the Outstanding Alumna in the college’s fiftieth year for her contributions to patient care, lifelong service to others, and continued learning,” NCC President Dr. Bill Carver said. “Careers are born here. And, Mrs. Butler has had an exceptional career.”

Following her graduation from NCC, Butler obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing from Winston-Salem State University, and a Master’s Degree in Nursing Education from UNC- Greensboro. She has received numerous professional awards including The Great 100 Nursing Award, Patient Care Extraordinaire Award from Air Methods Corporation and Nurse Excellence Award from Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center. In her comments to the graduates, she said “I am very proud to be a graduate of Nash Community College and have spent my career in a profession that is still the most highly respected among all professions.”

Butler worked as a nurse at Nash General Hospital from 1978 until 1982 and Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center from 1982 until 2016. She is involved in her community as an elementary school volunteer tutor, assists with Parent Teacher Association activities, and is on the Kernersville Christmas Stocking program committee. She is an active member of Kernersville Moravian Church, and previously served as a volunteer for Kate B. Reynolds Hospice program providing respite care.

Butler resides in Kernersville with her husband, Vernon. She has two adult children, Gregory Deans and Terri Butler, and four grandchildren.